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Tunisians weren’t who you might think. Based on a recent genetic studies report conducted by National Geographic, only 4% of Tunisians are actually of Arab origin.
Now scientists are delivering new answers to the question of who Tunisians really are and where they came from. Their findings suggest that the country has been a melting pot since ancient time. Tunisians living today, are a varying mix of people originally from North Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe.
This reference population is based on people native to Tunisia. Tunisia’s location in the Mediterranean region contributes to its broad genetic diversity. Mainly, North African. European and Arabian components are also present.
The Arabian component likely arrived in two waves, one with the arrival of agriculture from the Middle East beginning around 8,000 years ago, and one with the Islamic conquest of the seventh century. Tunisians also carry components from other regions of Africa, such as Western and Central Africa.
The Genographic project is a mutliyear research initiative of the National Geographic Society. The project was launched in 2005 by geneticist Dr. Spencer Wells, and it is currently led by anthropologist Dr. Miguel Vilar.
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4 comments
Thank you for this article. It is important that Tunisians must start to accept the fact that we are not Arabs. It´s not a shame to have Amazigh DNA and maybe this generation and the next generations change some things in near the future without any racism in this beautiful country. Knowledge is power!
Tunisians have been Arabs for 1400 years. This article is ridiculous seeing how you cannot find an Arab component since being Arab is a socio-culturel ethnic identity. And most North Africans in and outside of North Africa identify as Arabs. Other than the mixed Arab Hijazi and Yemeni blood many North Africans have i their veins. To be Arab in North Africa is simply speaking Arabic and living in a Muslim Arab culture which they have been for a millenia and a half. Many Maghrebins are mixed Arab-Berber descent. But so what? The whole of the Middle East are mixed with prepopulations but they predominitaly identify as Arabs unless they indefity as minorities like Kurds or Assyrians. Just like full Amazigh are a minority, mixed Arab-Berbers are the majority and they identify their countries as Arab countries and themselves as the Arabs of the Maghreb. Knowledge is power indeed.
Amazigh’s have been in Tunisia for over 7000 thousand years and beyond , this is our land , if you don’t like it, maybe Irak is a place for you to live. There is Nothing called Arabs of the Maghreb. It is called Tamazgha, I bet you a 100% you don’t even know what (Tounes) means. Tounes in darija means “the key” in Tamazight langauge, even the countries name is not arab. knowledge is indeed power and you seem to need it. Good luck best of luck from Tunisia.
This is nothing new , we all new about this before the DNA analyses , but Tunisian government is controlled by racist Arabs unfortunately. Tunisian Amazigh’s will rise again InchAllah and we will bring back our mother tounge Tamazight !